It’s October. More specifically, it’s getting close to the end of October. I think you can see where I’m going with this.
So, in celebration and in recognition of one of the more unique Western holidays out there (aside from Talk Like a Pirate Day. And Labor Day.), we here at CFD! present you with a very special edition of Free Games What Need Playing. The initial plan was to try and gather together a few horror-themed games to keep things a little more diverse, but due to a lack of random discoveries and a glut of another very specific kind of subject matter, we went with zombies.
Yes they’ve been done to death (har har), and yes not everything scary has to involve zombies, but they’re in ready supply. And despite the arguments against, they’re still Halloween-y.
Enjoy the corpses.
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De-Animator
Based on the story by H.P. Lovecraft, which itself is perhaps best known as the movie Re-Animator, De-Animator is a kind of follow-up story. You see, Dr. Herbert West was a little too successful with his experiments. As a result, a legion of animated corpses is poised to march on an unsuspecting Miskatonic Valley. The only thing standing in their way is Dr. West himself and a couple of meager firearms.
De-Animator has actually been around for quite some time. How long exactly? I’m not sure, but I was in one of my first two years of college (nine or ten years ago) when I first found it. Despite the tell-tale signs of outdated Flash visual choices, the rest of the game holds up quite well. You’ll expend countless amounts of ammunition trying to squash the threat of the living dead uprising, trying over and over to last just a little bit longer next time.
It’s a given that your aim will be put to the test, although the act basically consists of clicking your mouse on your intended target, but you’ll also have to plan your shots. Each gun (a pistol and a shotgun) have a set amount of shots they can fire before needing to be reloaded, so it’s crucial to give yourself enough time to reload or you’ll get ripped apart in no time. One strategy you can attempt is to swap between both weapons (once you start collecting shotgun shells) in lieu of reloading, but it’s a risky gamble as the guns don’t magically reload between waves like these new-fangled games tend to do. So you could very well find yourself stuck with an empty shotgun, an empty pistol and next-to-no time to reload. Then you’re toast.
Aside from the simple, yet always appealing gameplay, what helps De-Animator avoid the pitfalls of misplaced nostalgia is the art direction. The stylized shadows show more than enough detail to be disturbing without bogging down the (now) ancient engine. And it all just fits with “Lovecraftian” things. It really does evoke the old-timey detectives, zombies, ancient sea gods and otherworldy horrors feeling most people associate with one of horror’s most notable authors. The animations are a little stiff (no pun intended), which can easily be attributed to Flash’s olden days, but it’s still perfectly serviceable. Of course, that’s not to say an updated remake of sorts wouldn’t be unwelcome.
Dead Frontier
(http://www.deadfrontier.com/)
There are plenty of independent zombie games out there. There are also plenty of free-to-play MMOs. But there aren’t a whole lot of free-to-play zombie MMOs. Dead Frontier addresses this issue quite nicely.
It’s important to note, there are two versions of the game available: the original, 2D top-down version that’s largely a solo affair, and the still-in-the-testing-stages, 3D, play with everyone version. Both will have you mowing down hordes of the living dead, but they also have some noticeable differences. Aside from the obvious graphical ones, that is.
Let’s start at the beginning (i.e. the original version). After creating your character and choosing a starting profession you’ll find yourself in the city’s outpost. It’s the one place where you won’t run you the risk of finding your appendages inside somebody’s stomach if you log out for the night. It’s also where you’ll spend a lot of time buying and selling various provisions scavenged from the ruined metropolis. The bulk of your interactions with other players will most likely involve these exchanges of goods, as well as a few services. You see, some skilled players (i.e. doctors or engineers) can offer up their services to repair damaged armor or use healing items to their fullest effect. Not only are these skills essential to the well being of pretty much every player in the game, they can also net you some decent cash if you’re good enough.
Of course, you can prepare all you want but the real test is going out there and killing some zombies. The city is split into many different zones, with some playing host to some very tough enemies. However, there’s a very big emphasis on risk versus reward in the world of Dead Frontier, and you won’t get very far if you only stick to the low-level areas. Correction, it’ll take you forever to collect enough cash in order to buy better gear at later levels if you don’t take a few risks. So it’s do-able, but incredibly time consuming. Anyhow, as you eventually start to branch-out into the rougher parts of town you’ll start to encounter new types of zombies. Some of them are much faster than the regular ones, while others have a surprisingly long reach. Still others can be both fast and stretchy. I’ve also heard tales of a zombie referred to as a Behemoth, but there’s no way in hell I’d go looking for something like that anytime soon.
And then there’s the new version. Along with the enhanced visuals and film grain screen effects comes the ability to play online with other people consistently. From the moment you step out of the safety of the Outpost you’ll occasionally happen upon other players going about their business. It’s still a little clunky at the moment, and there’s a good deal of lag, but the appeal of protecting a player-made outpost (by barricading the doors and windows) is too strong to ignore. When you consider that even then the entire game (both versions) is still in open beta, it’s all very impressive indeed.
Freakin’ Zombie Heads
(http://howihatethenight.com/games/freakin-zombie-heads/)
There are two important things to get out of the way first when talking about Freakin’ Zombie Heads. First, it’s for the iPhone, so tough luck if you don’t have one. Still, there are plenty of other free games out there. Second, it’s free until October 31st. So as long as you aren’t reading this after Halloween, you’ll be good.
So what exactly is Freakin’ Zombie Heads, anyway? Well, like most iPhone games, it’s designed as a quick-to-play, keep-you-hooked affair rife with simple concepts, score chasing, pleasing aesthetics and, you guessed it, zombies. Well, their heads, anyway. It’s kind of like a puzzle game, but it also requires some quick tapping and precision poking.
The idea is to keep your garbage can from overflowing with zombie heads. Tapping one head, then it’s matching partner will cause both to erupt in a fountain of blood and possibly brains before any other heads in the can will roll around to fill the gap. It’s also possible to use multi-touch to select two or more matching heads at the same time, then pop all of ‘em once you poke one more. This method is a little risky, though, as you’ll have to allow the can to fill up with lots of heads in order to get several of one type of head. This, in turn, puts you closer and closer to failure once the heads come pouring in and the pile gets closer to the lip.
The entire game is lovingly wrapped in a nifty retro style, complete with pixelated artwork and chiptune music and sound effects. Adding little visual cues for when you select a head (such as bleeding eye sockets or glowing pentagrams) is a nice touch, although some of the tells are harder to spot than others. Especially when things get crazy.
So basically, Freakin’ Zombie Heads is a fun, addicting and charming retro-styled head-popper of a game that’s more than worth your time. It’s also well worth the dollar that it was originally priced at, so free is a complete steal. If you have an iPhone just open up the App Store and download it already, no excuses.
